Utrecht: Home of the Real Dutch House Underground

Utrecht: home of the Vecht river, history’s only Dutch pope and a bunch of kids making the best New York house this side of the Atlantic.

A while back, DJ Haus – the man behind madcap label Unknown to the Unknown, one half of Trumpet & Badman and formerly UK garage operation Hot City – told us that he’d been booked in Utrecht and been blown away by the region’s underground party scene.

“I discovered these guys at ADE,” Haus explained. “I wandered into a Tomorrow Is Now, Kid! party with Samuel Deep and Jeremy Underground playing. I was blown away by the fact that they we playing just 90s house but records I had never heard before, proper digging shit but put together in such a fun way.”

“Every record just got the crowd more and more worked up, the atmosphere was insane. The first time you’re at their party you’re looking around and everyone is on the same vibe – like ‘how are these guys playing records like this that we have never heard before?’. It’s a familiar sound but a totally brand new vibe!”

When he mentioned that he was heading back to Utrecht to play the 44bass party, we decided to come along and see what makes this scene so unique – speaking to key members of the community about how the parties started, why they work, and where they see themselves in relationship to modern deep house and the music found elsewhere in the Netherlands (it’s worth noting that some of the artists featured are based in Amsterdam at the moment). Just don’t mention power house.